I Ate Atlanta's Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q on a Delta One Flight
My mother has a rule. Every birthday, she says, you must treat yourself to something nice. This year, I skipped shopping for a bag and upgraded my seat to Delta One first class on a flight to Chile. From Atlanta, it's a 10-hour flight, so I knew it'd be worth the flat-bed seat, the wine, and of course, the local legend Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q served for dinner.
Delta is Atlanta-based, so it only makes sense to offer a quintessential Atlanta dining option on its longer flights. The airline announced Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q's beef short ribs as its pick in 2022, and I've been tempted to try the in-flight meal ever since.
Before you board the flight, you get complimentary Delta Sky Lounge access as a Delta One passenger, and it's worth arriving early for. The Local Flavors program showcases local restaurants in the lounge — Inman Park's Mediterranean eatery Kitty Dare is the latest Atlanta restaurant to be featured in the Councourse B and D lounges, offering dishes like seared Tunisian eggplant with harissa and dill pesto, berbere chicken over hummus, and koobideh (ground beef and lamb) with marinated feta and tzatziki. Plus, there's Champagne, beers, and cocktails you can enjoy at the outdoor deck, overlooking planes lazily rolling in and out.
When you board, the seat is a private suite. It feels like a luxury car seat, with more buttons than a nail salon massage chair, for reclining modes, multiple lighting settings, and a do-not-disturb sign. (No massage features, sadly.) You're welcomed with bubbles — I picked the Taittinger La Francaise Champagne, paired with warm nuts, feeling like a starlet in the movies. Hot tip: you can bring a tin of caviar on a plane over an ice pack in a cooler bag, which I did, and enjoyed it with the Champagne. It was my birthday, after all. Having changed into my slippers and reclined in 'lounge' mode, I was ready for dinner.
I had preselected my meal the day before and couldn't wait to see the local staple on an international flight. The tray arrived with the short ribs beautifully plated (at least for airplane food) — there was no hot foil to peel, no bamboo sporks. You could smell the sweet barbecue sauce right away. The steaming ribs were served slathered in it, topped with pickled red onions, next to a mound of grits made with Georgia's Sweet Grass Dairy gouda, and green beans on the side. Starters included poached shrimp with a cucumber and apple salad, a roasted red pepper bisque, and a burrata salad with farro and arugula. It was a massive amount of food for one person, and I managed to make a small dent in it. The dinner roll came with another Atlanta staple — the tiniest round of Banner Butter. I loved that everything was delivered in proper plateware — Riedel glasses and metal silverware with linen napkins — the small details that make you feel human.
I didn't have high expectations after my fair share of dry-as-sand meats on a plane. But these ribs were tender to the touch and fell apart. They were seasoned well, offering a balanced amount of salt and heat. The grits helped sop up all that sauce, and so did the buttered roll. The green beans weren't soggy; they still had a crunch. I was surprised by the quality of dinner, even if it was on a bougie Delta One seat. The red pepper bisque was another standout for its creamy texture. I enjoyed the meal with a Gerard Bertrand rosé from Languedoc, France, pairing its pomegranate notes with the barbecue. Alternate main dish options included a less exciting pan-seared chicken breast with wild rice and vegetables, and a truffle and parmesan risotto with mushrooms and zucchini. I had an opera cake for dessert with a Quinta do Noval 10-year tawny port, which was fitting for a birthday. I polished off the cake with a real metal fork, giggling over RuPaul's Drag Race on the monitor, snug in my blanket and airplane socks.
The air in my little suite was scented with whispers of sweet barbecue sauce. Hours into my flight flying over South America, I loved that there was a slice of Atlanta on the plane. And that felt homey. Where else can you dig into ribs on a plane than in the A? See More:
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